Education Equals Empowerment

A pageant of color: Everyday life in Guatemala

Photos by Caitlan and Luke Smith

group

tree

The spiritual is part of everyday life in Guatemala, from saints' processions like the one above, to the cieba tree, sacret to the maya, above right, and the colonial-influenced Catholic churches, right.

church

art

food

cooking

Women are the backbone of family life in Guatemala, but they play out that role in different ways.

Above left, Andrea, a member of Thirteen Threads, shows tapestries created by members of the organization.

Left, a Mayan woman makes tortillas in the traditional way on the comal. She will feed her family, but also sells the tortillas to make a living.

Bright fruits form a colorful backdrop for tourist photos, but they also represent the labor of women in rural areas, whobring their produce to market in the cities.